James Vowles: The podium was vital for Williams

      At a fans' event in Williams' Singapore fan zone, James Vowles, the team principal, to the delight of those gathered, arrived with the trophy Carlos Sainz had won in Baku. It appeared to be the real trophy, not a replica.

      "In the final laps of that race I was calm because I knew: even if it didn't happen in Baku, we would still get onto the podium in the near future," Vowles said. "At that moment I was more interested in how the team would take it, what emotions everyone who worked in the garage would feel. That podium was vital for Williams, there's no other way to put it. And the same thing happened on Monday after the race, when we presented the trophy at the team's base in Grove, where roughly a thousand of our staff gathered, and everyone could hold the cup and have their photo taken with it. I saw what it meant for the whole team, and being a witness to all of that was extremely important to me.

      "Since the team received such a powerful boost of positive energy, the chances of repeating the success also increased. But at the same time we must remain realistic: I know that some tracks suit us, some do not. And Singapore is one of those that suits us a little less; however, watching Bernd Mayländer drive that track in the safety car, I thought that the safety car's appearance could well become a factor influencing the course of this race.

      "In general, we'll see. Although actually I mean that big opportunities are now opening up for Williams, and good results will definitely come. In previous years we were far from the level we want to be at, but I can assure you that we continue to invest in Williams, and the team is getting better literally by the hour.

      "Which is proven by this trophy, which is here on this stage. But this cup is also a kind of symbol of gratitude to all our fans who always support and believe in us."

      Of course, there was a question about next year, since fans wanted to hear Vowles' view on what to expect in 2026:

      "I always remain a realist and know what opportunities our rivals have — Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. We are also building our potential, but this process takes time. I'm often asked, will we be able next year to contend for the championship? No. But I can say for certain that each year we take another step forward.

      "I'm here to win championships, but that won't happen quickly. But it will happen!"

      Recently memoir literature has become increasingly popular, and not only drivers and team principals, but even TV presenters share their memories of life, successes and failures in motorsport. One of the fans asked Vowles whether he is planning to write a book about how he managed to revive Williams.

      "I'll tell things I've never told before," James replied. "I regularly make notes, once a month I record what the team has achieved so nothing will be forgotten. It's not a given that I'll write a book, because I don't have time for it now, but if many years from now Williams achieves numerous championship wins, maybe then I'll take that on as well, because a lot of interesting things are happening within the team. And I'd like to share all of that with you."